Chicago White Sox: Five most likely playoff opponents
The Chicago White Sox are going to the playoffs. The question is, who will they play?
After losing to the Cleveland Indians on Monday night, the Chicago White Sox fell to 34-20. They still have the second-best record in the American League and a 1.5 lead in the AL Central Division. They have already clinched a spot in the 2020 postseason which is going to be their first playoff appearance in 12 years. We might not know who they are playing in the first round for a couple of more days as they still have a lot to sort out over the last week of the season.
There are a few options for them in the first round. It is going to be the best of three so there are a few teams that they probably match up better against in a short series but you never know when it is that short. You can safely assume that they aren’t going to play against the Oakland Athletics or Tampa Bay Rays in the first round because they are most likely going to be the other two division winners.
If the White Sox win their division, the A’s and Rays are out as opponents in the first round. Even if the Minnesota Twins come back and win the division, the White Sox won’t be down far enough to match up with Oakland or Tampa Bay.
You never want to “pick your opponent” because every team that makes the playoffs is there for a reason. With that said, the White Sox certainly have a better chance of getting off to a good start against some teams more than others. These are the five teams they are most likely to play in the first round:
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a possible White Sox first-round opponent but it is unlikely at this point. One of these two is going to win the American League Central Division and the other is most likely going to be the four seed. That makes it pretty much impossible that they play each other but the outside chance that the second-place team is lower than a four seed makes it possible that they meet in the first round just based on math.
If they were to play each other in the first round, that would be a tough draw for both teams. They went 5-5 against one another this year and each was hot at different times against each other. The Twins had the momentum against the White Sox early and the Sox turned it around last week. They know each other’s weaknesses as well as any teams in the league so this one would be tough.
If you have to pick a team in this series, the edge would have to go to the Twins because of the fact that there is a chance that they are still in the White Sox head. The Sox, despite the 5-5 split this year, has struggled against Minnesota in recent memory. This is not the ideal draw in the first round so it is good that it is the least likely of the five possible chances.
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians might be the worst possible scenario for the White Sox. Pitching is king in the postseason and Cleveland has the most. They can throw out a very good starter in every playoff game they have and it is even more apparent in a short series. The White Sox have two really good aces but the Indians might be the only team in the American League that matches them better and then some.
The White Sox are a team that relies a lot on offense. They would really need to tag the Cleveland pitching if they were to play them in the playoffs. They are an extremely likely opponent and that has to be scary for all White Sox fans. They are currently in the middle of a regular-season series against them right now and it hasn’t been good so far.
Hopefully, they are able to figure some things out against them in this last week of the season. It would be an entertaining series for sure but one that might cause White Sox fans a lot of stress. In addition to all of this pitching, they still have some offensive players that are scary as well. Guys like Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are still there and they can be a problem. Despite trading Mike Clevinger their pitching is still dominant and despite their offense being soft for most of the year, they are starting to figure it out.
New York Yankees
Another team that would be a tough draw in the first round is the New York Yankees. The evil empire started off red hot and looked like they were going to cruise to the best record in the American League. Well, injuries and bad play have caused them to free fall, and now they aren’t even going to win the American League East Division. The Rays are about to clinch that title leaving the Yankees to the Wild Card.
Since losing a bunch of games in a row, they have been really hot. They are a dangerous team with the likes of Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Luke Voit, and DJ LeMahieu amongst others to deal with. We don’t know how the White Sox match up against them because they haven’t played each other this year but you have to imagine that the Yankees are World Series contenders as much as any team in the league.
They spend a lot of money on their roster and have some great players at every position. They are going to go into the playoffs believing that they can win the World Series no matter where they finish. If the White Sox draw them, they would need to bring their very best. It would be cool to see the White Sox play the Yankees in the playoffs but losing to them would be no fun at all. If they don’t win the AL Central, a date with them is likely.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the fun surprise teams that have come out of this weird 2020 season. When they aren’t playing against your team, they are one of the more fun teams to watch in all of baseball. They have so much youthful energy and talent that might go a long way one day. They are sort of a diet version of the White Sox in a lot of ways. Lots of young prospects have started to all come up at the same time.
Well, if the White Sox played them in the first round, it would be one of the more hyped series across baseball. The Blue Jays had some playoff success in the mid-2010s but other than that they really haven’t been in the playoffs like some of the other teams. The same can be said about the White Sox except their playoff drought is even longer.
The White Sox, with all due respect to the Blue Jays, would probably be favored in a series against them. They are deeper in every facet of the game and their records show it. The Blue Jays deserve respect for what they have done this year but it seems like they have a little bit longer to go in their rebuild before they are on the White Sox level. With that said, if the White Sox did match up against them and take them lightly they would get destroyed. They deserve respect but this would certainly be a fun series to watch.
Houston Astros
Every team in baseball probably wants a piece of the Houston Astros. They are the team that will be known as the cheaters for a long time. They are going to go to the playoffs this season and teams are going to be going after them. They made it to the World Series last year and were defeated by the Washington Nationals but that all came before the sign-stealing scandal that has made everyone look at them differently.
We haven’t been able to see the White Sox play them this year because of the pandemic but that could change if they meet in the playoffs. It probably isn’t as likely as some of the other possible American League foes but it could happen.
Although the Astros aren’t winning the West for the first time in a long time, they are still loaded with talent. The intent to cheat probably isn’t there anymore but they still have crazy talented players. This would be a tough team to beat because of their playoff pedigree but the White Sox could absolutely beat them. Justin Verlander is out for the season and Gerrit Cole is a Yankee so the White Sox would like their chances.
Hot. The Chicago Cubs didn't help the White Sox out at all. light
None of these opponents are going to be easy outs and anybody can win this year. With that said, there are teams here that match up better for the White Sox than others. They haven’t seen three of the five at any point this year so you never know who matches well against one another on the field but on paper, the White Sox are looking alright against most of them.